Brittany Kelley
SAN MARCOS — In an effort to believe in herself and connect with her heritage, Vanessa Kolacny’s kolache business will open its storefront June 6.
Kolacny has lived in Wimberley for eight years, but before her life in the small town, her memories were filled with the flavor of her favorite treat — kolaches — from her grandmother and music from her grandfather’s accordion.
Wanting to feel connected once more with her Czech grandparents, she set out to teach herself to make traditional kolaches that first Christmas in Wimberley, using the same recipe that encompassed her childhood.
“Within 15 days, I created an LLC, the business name, got the Food Manufacturer’s license, Food Handler’s [license], managerial’s license — all the things I needed — and I had the kitchen at the Old First Baptist Church permitted to be a licensed commercial kitchen,” recalled Kolacny. “I did that for six months and then, I shut it down in June because I knew I was not going to be able to do it full-time because … I had to still be a mom.”
Years passed without starting back up her business, Kolacny’s Kolaches, until spring of 2025, when she felt she had to choose herself and start baking once more. She worked on the weekends, taking her pastries to markets throughout the county for an entire year before choosing to resign from her teaching position in Hays CISD to bake full-time.
“I’m a person [who is] looking and seeing where the universe is taking me. My friends encouraged me and I feel this is my time to start a second career. I’ve been teaching since I was 25 and I’m 48 [now] and I need something different,” explained Kolacny. “I need something that excites me and makes me come alive and something that I can create and build and it’s all mine.”
She specializes in making authentic Czech kolaches and klobasneks. The first, she explained, is actually a sweet pastry, as opposed to the kolaches many Texans are used to, which are more akin to what klobasneks are.
“A true kolache is a sweet yeast dough filled with fruits or cream cheese and, typically, it’s circular in size,” said the baker. “I grew up with having them all the time and people think they’re just a breakfast food, but for me, it was like, you just eat them whenever you want to eat … A klobasnek is what people would call a hot dog or a pig in a blanket and that is just the same sweet yeast dough that’s made for kolaches, but it has sausage in it.”
Her personal favorites are a classic cream cheese kolache and a jalapeño and cheese sausage klobasnek.
Kolacny’s Kolaches will open Saturday, June 6, and has opportunities to order the pastries online or community members can pick up fresh single orders through the walk-up window. The building is located at Siren's, 801 Chestnut St. in San Marcos. Catering and online orders can be placed by texting 512-217-5582.
The journey to get to this point has been one of self-confidence and “taking a leap of faith,” said Kolacny, but it has been made easier by local business owners throughout the county offering advice and words of encouragement.
In the future, she hopes to start going to markets again, since this endeavor is pausing to focus on the storefront, and to build an authentic Czech bakery for her pastries.
“I just want to build a sense of community and want people to be happy … [as well as] honor my grandparents,” concluded Kolacny.
Kolancy’s Kolaches will be open from 7 a.m. to noon Wednesday through Sunday. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/Kolacnyskolaches.
